1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cooler for cooling a gaseous medium that is compressed in a compressor.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is known to cool a gaseous medium that has been compressed in a compressor using a cooler. Such a cooler can be an intercooler arranged between two compressor stages or a recooler arrangement after the last or only compressor stage.
Known coolers for cooling a gaseous medium compressed in a compressor comprise a housing, wherein in the housing a heat exchanger for cooling the compressed, gaseous medium is arranged. Such a cooler comprises a plurality of tubes through which coolant flows and about which the gaseous medium to be cooled circulates.
The coolant is typically water and the gaseous medium to be cooled is typically air.
The housing of the cooler comprises at least one inflow, via which the gaseous medium to be cooled can be introduced into the housing of the cooler and fed to a portion of the heat exchanger on the flow inlet side. Furthermore, the housing comprises at least one outflow, via which cooled, gaseous medium starting out from a portion of the heat exchanger on the flow outlet side can be discharged out of the housing of the cooler.
Depending on the area of application, such a cooler can have large dimensions. Thus, coolers are known, the housing of which has a length of more than 10 meters and a diameter of more than 3 meters. In the case of coolers having such large dimensions there is the problem that a non-uniform flow for the gaseous medium to be cooled forms within the cooler. Such a non-uniform flow for the gaseous medium to be cooled is disadvantageous since the cooler in this situation cannot be optimally operated. A non-uniform flow of the compressed gaseous medium to be cooled through the cooler restricts the cooling capacity of the cooler.